How Dirty Are Your Makeup Brushes?

So recently I've been taking a "survey" with people I know, and some I don't.  "How often do you wash your makeup brushes?"  This question is usually followed by silence.  No need for the answer ladies, I'm sure it's not as much as it should be.  To be quite honest, I really never thought about it myself.  Usually my skin has gone through a thorough cleansing process before any of my makeup is applied.  But think about this...

Makeup brushes can harbor bacteria, dead skin cells, and oil.  (Talk about a spa day for bacteria...YUCK!)  Without cleansing brushes properly all your doing is reapplying that "crud" to what you thought was your clean face.  Now, it is recommended that brushes be cleaned once a week.  More so, if you use pigments and foil with glitters, metallics, etc.  Once a week really isn't that bad if you think about it....right?

Here's what I do:  (Don't worry, you don't have to go out and buy any special cleanser!)

1.  Gather all your brushes.
2.  Grab your shampoo and conditioner.  (Any kind will do!)
3.  Put a small dab of shampoo in your hand, rub brushes in your hands.  (Be gentle!)
4.  Rinse with warm water.
5.  Condition brushes with conditioner.  Tip:  It's ok to be generous; rub it in to make sure you get inside some of the thicker brushes.
6.  Rinse with warm water.
7.  Lightly squeeze excess water from brushes. 
8.  Lay brushes out to air dry on a dry towel.

Tip:  Cleanse brushes at night so they are all set and ready to go in the morning!

Once they are dry; gently take the brush and stroke your hand over the bristles.  Voila!  They should be as good as new. 

Welcome! My new Blog Beginnings...

Welcome everyone!  I must say I've been excited about starting this blog for many years.  (I know...lame!)  But I've never really gotten around to doing it. 

My motivation;  1.  I have some time while looking for a job.  2.  People always ask me questions about my makeup and/or products I use.  What better way to have it all at your hands?  3.  Makeup can get expensive, so why not be able to help people save money on products that actually do work.  (I'll take suggestions myself too!)

Now, I'm by no means a makeup expert, but I absolutely love it!  As a little girl I wanted to be a makeup artist and well...I still kinda do!  Although I chose a different career path (I'm currently a Registered Nurse), I still love to check out different products and offer up any of my opinions on them.  :)